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November 11th, 2017 was a day that will go down in the memory of Canes fans everywhere. Bright and early, the Coral Gables campus hosted College Gameday, and the Miami faithful did not disappoint. The Canes were 8-0, ranked 7th in polls, and coming off of a big win over Virginia Tech in primetime the week prior. The Turnover Chain was a national storyline, and the 3rd-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish were coming to town, reigniting the Catholics vs Convicts tensions of the late 80s. It was the perfect buildup to what would amount to the game of the season. Thankfully, kickoff was not the pinnacle of the day, as the party was just getting started.
The Canes dominated every phase of the game from the first kick, opening up a 20-0 lead in the first half. Desperate to get some points on the board before halftime, Notre Dame attempted to execute a 2-minute drill with backup QB Ian Book. The Irish had moved the ball 54 yards in 8 plays to the Miami 38 before making the last play any offensive coordinator would want to see with 22 seconds left in the half:
It was a huge play in a huge moment especially for a true freshman, but it was truly a precursor to the type of player Trajan Bandy would turn out to be. Notre Dame would never recover, as the Canes kept the pedal to the metal en route to a 41-8 statement victory. It’s hard not to smile watching this play 15 months later, whether it’s due to Bandy sprinting down the sideline, watching the players’ reactions on the field and sideline, seeing the crowd absolutely explode, or witnessing the perfect coronation of the moment with the Turnover Chain.